


New Flesh

by skyshines



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fae & Fairies, Multi, My First Work in This Fandom, No Lesbians Die, Tags May Change, fae peter nureyev, i promise buddy and vespa won't just be background, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:15:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27414112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyshines/pseuds/skyshines
Summary: 'The two looked at each other with twin expressions of unease as the reality of the situation truly sunk in.Rita pouted, grumbling, “I guess this means no sexy vampire, huh, Boss?”'-Juno Steel is a monster hunter for hire in the Hyperion Empire. He works solo, until he doesn't.
Relationships: Buddy Aurinko/Vespa Ilkay, Peter Nureyev/Juno Steel, Rita & Juno Steel
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	New Flesh

The Hyperion Empire.

  
Some people said it was the most beautiful kingdom on the continent. The rest of them lived there.

  
Juno Steel had never really understood the appeal of the empire. Sure, it was an incredibly scenic place, objectively speaking, with a forest of beautiful, ancient redwoods lurking just beyond the city gates, and the salty waves of the Halcyon sea visible from the rooftops. But within the crumbling walls of the Hyperion Empire was a story altogether more convoluted, a story that one Juno Steel was well-acquainted with.

  
Juno stared intently down at the parchment grasped in his hands, his eyes scanning across the message. It wasn’t often that he received letters directly from the royal family themselves, but it wasn’t unheard of. What was unheard of, though, was the urgent tone it conveyed. Rarely did the monarchy seem to panic, and even rarer it was that Juno witnessed it. Behind him, his assistant approached him, bouncing with her every step.

  
“Isn’t it excitin’, Mistah Steel? We ain’t had a vampire in the Empire for an awful long time, and it got all the way into Uptown without anyone takin’ notice!” Rita babbled happily as she reached his side, peering over his shoulder as best as she could to get a glimpse of the letter.

  
“I thought I told you to stop reading my messages before you gave them to me,” Juno griped without looking up, though his voice contained no real anger. “What’s really exciting is that apparently it took out the king’s head advisor. For once I have to agree with the monster’s choice of victim, I always hated Croesus.”

  
“I know, I know, but I saw the seal and just got excited, is all!” Rita turned and walked back towards her desk, continuing to chatter away. “And I thought y’all were on speakin' terms again after you saved Cecil from that band of goblins.”

  
“We were, but it doesn’t mean I have to like the guy,” Juno muttered, re-rolling the parchment and slipping it into the inside pocket of his coat. “I wonder-”

  
A knock on the door of his office interrupted Juno mid-sentence, and he glanced over his shoulder curiously. Rita rushed to answer but before she could reach it the door swung open on it’s own, and in walked the one and only Sasha Wire. She made brief eye contact with Rita, giving her a curt nod before pushing past her to approach Juno.

  
She had changed since the last time he’d seen her, almost fifteen years ago. For one, she was no longer dressed in the ragged clothes of the city’s poorer districts: instead she wore the black and silver robes of the Empire’s mage guild, her hair cut into a clean bob at her chin. She definitely looked more put together than Juno did, though he’d be caught dead before he admitted that to her.

  
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Miss Wire. What brings you into our humble establishment after fifteen years of avoiding us? Did a goblin eat your cat? Did Mick finally admit to being a changeling?” Juno questioned teasingly. He tried to maintain an air of flippancy, but his face softened involuntarily at the sight of his childhood friend.

  
“Isn’t it possible that I’m just concerned about your well-being?” Sasha quipped in response, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

  
“No, definitely not,” Juno said simply. She shrugged in response.

  
“That’s fair, I suppose. I assume you’ve heard about advisor Kanagawa.”

  
“Straight to business, then. Yeah, I heard about the vampire. Can’t say I’m too sad about it,” Juno responded, returning her shrug with one of his own and receiving an eye roll in answer.

  
“I’m not sure there’s a soul in the empire who is. The man’s own family hated him. Anyways, the attack wasn’t done by a vampire.”

  
“What? That’s not what the letter I got from the palace says,” Juno stated, his brows furrowed in confusion.

  
“Well then, your letter is incorrect. That’s why I’m here. I took a look at the scene myself before I dropped by. The cause of death is clearly from a magical item,” Sasha explained, her voice casual, and as she spoke she perched herself upon Juno’s desk, her lips quirking up at his disapproving grunt. “I assume the inexperienced crownsguard took one glance at the quite frankly unhealthy amounts of blood on the floor and declared it a vampire attack, but the cursed mask embedded in his face says otherwise.”

  
Behind him Juno could hear Rita’s “aww” of sadness at the loss of a good old fashioned vampire story, and he ignored it in favor of speaking. “Alright, so it wasn’t a vampire. That means it’s out of my wheelhouse. Is this your way of telling me I’m off the case?”

  
“Quite the contrary. In fact, once you see some of the particular details of the crime scene, I’m sure it’ll be impossible to keep you away. No, what I’m telling you is that the king wants you to work with the mage guild’s investigators on this one, specifically one Buddy Aurinko and Jet Siquliak. This isn’t the only artifact-related death in the past few months, so you’re officially being made part of a ‘ _magical murder mystery_ ’ task force, if you will,” Sasha said, waving her hand dismissively.

  
“A _task force_? Sasha, you know that’s not my thing. I work solo,” Juno said. “The only reason I keep Rita around is because she won’t leave, no matter how many times I fire her.”

  
“Be that as it may, it’s an order directly from the palace. You’re tied to the case, so unfortunately you can’t really wiggle your way out of this one, Juno. Besides, I think you’ll get along with my investigators. Buddy’s eager to add you and Rita to the team,” she said, her eyes turning briefly back to said assistant. She looked back at Juno. “I need you to take it seriously, Steel. Either you take this case with our assistance or you start thinking about which island you want to be exiled on. I hear the Infernal Archipelago is lovely this time of year. The local wildlife _flourishes_ in the summertime heat.”

  
Juno groaned dramatically, throwing a glare in Sasha’s direction.

  
“Don’t throw a fit, Juno. Buddy and Jet will be here shortly to aid in your investigation. They can fill you in on the details of your place on the team,” Sasha said, and her face softened slightly before she stood up and brushed off her robes. “I’ll be taking my leave, now. I’ll see you in another fifteen years.”

  
Juno grinned slyly, nodding. “It’s a date.”

  
Sasha pulled a face, scrunching up her nose in distaste, murmured “gross,” and exited through the office door as swift and mannerless as she came.

  
There was a beat of silence after the door shut, both Rita and Juno standing still, as if waiting for her to return. When she didn’t, the two looked at each other with twin expressions of unease as the reality of the situation truly sunk in.

  
Rita pouted, grumbling, “I guess this means no sexy vampire, huh, Boss?”

**Author's Note:**

> This is my longest fic that I've ever written and that's only counting the first chapter. I promise I'll expand on it and actually get into the good stuff but I'm an essential worker so I make no promises for any type of update schedule. Pls leave me comments, I crave feedback.


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